Would You Recognize MPS Success?

Guest post by Gary Tammaro, Vice President, Global Service Delivery, Xerox LEO – Document Outsourcing

How do you measure the success of your Managed Print Services engagement? A recent IDC study on MPS service delivery asked that very question, and the results were surprising. The IDC iView, “Managed Print Services – Service Delivery Excellence,” by IDC Research Vice President Holly Muscolino, was released in February 2016 and sponsored by Xerox. It found that many enterprises had one view of MPS success going into their contract, but felt differently after the contract was underway for a while. That makes sense. It takes time to fully appreciate the many ways MPS delivers value.

Using hindsight, these enterprise MPS customers shared what actually made the most difference in their engagements. For example, at the start, most assumed price of the contract was the most important factor. After actually experiencing MPS, a clearly defined SLA took the top spot. Information and document security procedures also rose up the list once the engagement was actually underway. SLAs, security and solutions became more important as MPS users gained experience.

The Knowledge that Comes from Experience

It’s important to understand what you should expect from an MPS partner, but sometimes that knowledge only comes from living with an MPS engagement. This study leapfrogs the actual experience step and takes you directly to conclusions reached by enterprise executives who’ve already been through at least one successful MPS contract.

Participants were asked what contributed most to the success of their contract and what metrics they used to measure success. Cost savings remains a key metric, followed by reduced transaction cost, as well as reduced print and paper volume.

Study participants were also asked, if they were starting the RFP process again, what would be the most influential factors in their vendor selection? Service delivery excellence continues to be a differentiator in the MPS marketplace, although many factors contribute to service delivery excellence. The report provides deeper understanding of the reality of service delivery and where you can expect to find the most meaningful metrics of success.

Security is top-of-mind for many types of organizations, and it’s an important piece of their MPS engagement. The study reflects this, with a look at information security services that have been deployed by the respondents’ vendors. Since security is critical, you may find something of value for your security strategy.

Success Factors Across MPS Stages

The study breaks down the various success factors across the MPS lifecycle stages of assess, transition and manage. It explores the fundamentals of MPS service delivery excellence and walks you through the stages where they apply. It also lists the top challenges by MPS stage as well, so you gain insight into what you may experience as you move up in your MPS engagement.

Is your MPS contract coming up for renewal? Or perhaps you’re new to MPS? Either way, this study will give you plenty to think about. Comparing the before and after views is a fascinating exercise, and the information could help you avoid lost time by focusing on what matters most in your engagement from the beginning.

Visit http://www.service-delivery-research.com/ to view the information in more detail. You can also download the free “MPS Buyer’s Checklist: Ten Questions Organizations Should Ask Their Managed Print Providers.”